Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Photograph by Ian D. Hall

Tomorrow will follow today, to think otherwise is to take the only thing that matters in the world to many people from them, the belief of hope. Hope is the reason why so many of us get up in the morning, hope is the point of talking in vain to the nice girl who smiles, to listen to that song, to relish an evening out when everything about the modern world screams to stay inside; it is in hope that the live performance by an artist is one that will captivate you and keep you alive inside.

To hear Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman live is to understand that the day may be long and arduous but it is also one that the heart can feel the love of expression and bow gently in awe as two of British folk’s overwhelming persona frames songs that make you think, that make you remember what it was that drew you to the genre in the first place.

The Philharmonic Music Room is a place where the resonance works beautifully in favour of the musician, when it comes to the gentle, the artistic, the acoustic, perhaps arguably even more so. As Ms. Roberts and Mr. Lakeman presented their two sets to a full room of enchanted listeners, the sense of beguilement was overwhelming, a pin drop moment spread over the two hours in which only the laughter, the singing in unison and the incredibly well deserved applause were heard.

There has always been something quite sublime about the pair, the natural affinity they possess in each other’s company, the easy charm and smiles. It is enough to really make an audience at ease when they know the performers are enjoying the night as much as they are; that the songs played are joyful, reflective and powerfully played.

As songs such as Seasons, Tomorrow Will Follow Today, the amazing Rusalka, 52 Hertz, Child Owlet, the wonderful double entendre of folk performance in The Lusty Smith, Darling Isabella and The Tribute of Hands played out, what was clear to the audience was just how beautiful an evening they were having. The year may be winding down, the sense of cold winter nights starting to form in their minds but in truth, the wind, rain and eventual snow drifting and highlighted by orange street lamps, mean nothing, when comparing it the sensuality offered by two of English Folks most dedicated performers.

A night of grace, of laughter and memory, of salutes to Sandy Denny and the folk scene; it was a night to remember for all the right reasons.

Ian D. Hall